Virtual Learning: How Gov. Terry McAuliffe and VEA Failed Virginia Families

As the Virginia Legislature continues its "Special Session" next week, one of the biggest issues that will get debated by legislators is how to address the Commonwealth of Virginia's public school system and the lack of "in person" schooling taking place as a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Legislators will have opportunity to consider legislation that attempts to address those students throughout Virginia that live in areas or regions that do not have broadband internet access to facilitate "on-line" or "virtual learning" as well as all the students in the urban and suburban areas with access.

However, it is important to remember that the unpreparedness that the Virginia public education system has experienced during the pandemic very well may have been avoided had it not been for Governor Terry McAuliffe and the Virginia Education Association.

In order to understand why things are where they are in Virginia in terms of education it is important to look backward.

This week during the "Special Session" we have seen Delegates using a "virtual" session which they managed to of on Thursday yet many school systems are still lacking the infrastructure or tools to implement such programs effective

"Let’s empower parents to get the technology, to get their kids the technology to learn virtually... Let’s empower parents to get the tutoring and in-person teaching their children need to excel, regardless of how much money they make.” stated Delegate Carrie Coyner (R).

"I would hope that we would support school systems as they go virtual...not because it’s what we want, but because where we are right now in this epidemic it’s what we need. It’s what’s doable. It’s where students can best learn.” Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg (D).

Both Coyner and VanValkenburg have experience in education. Coyner is a former School Board member in Chesterfield County and VanValkenburg is a teacher in Henrico County. Both entered the House of Delegates after Governor Terry McAuliffe had left office and never had the opportunity to vote on Virginia's Virtual School Board first introduced in 2016.

These two counties represent significant school age populations in suburban Richmond rivaled only on Northern Virginia counties like Fairfax.

Where other states have transitioned to on-line or "virtual learning" though such platforms as Google classroom or Blackboard, Virginia lags behind. The question becomes how is it that Virginia get caught so off guard during the pandemic with the extended periods of no "in-person" learning and how could the state leave local jurisdictions in such a position of unpreparedness to deal with the situation.

Truth be told this very situation very well could have been avoided entirely. Republicans began working on legislation as early as 2015 regarding increasing the funding in the area of virtual learning though you will not hear much of that around Richmond these days. Members of both parties supported vital legislation in 2016 and 2017 that would have moved virtual learning forward in Virginia with the necessary funding. Virginia did in fact already have some on line learning programs through the Department of Education however, the virtual learning transformation sought via the legislation would have created a virtual school independently.

Here is the measure. Both Senate Bill 1240 and House Bill 1400 were identical.

Republicans Siobhan Dunnavant in the Senate and "Dickie" Bell in the House were the chief patrons of these vital virtual learning bills in 2017.

SB 1240 Virginia Virtual School Board

Virginia Virtual School established. Establishes the Board of the Virginia Virtual School (the Board) as a policy agency in the executive branch of state government for the purpose of governing the full-time virtual school programs offered to students enrolled in the Virginia Virtual School (the School). The Secretary of Education is responsible for such agency. The 14-member Board is given operational control of the School and assigned powers and duties. Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, the bill requires the School to be open to any school-age person in the Commonwealth and to provide an educational program meeting the Standards of Quality for grades kindergarten through 12, with a maximum enrollment of 5,000 students statewide. The bill requires the average state share of Standards of Quality per pupil funding for each enrolled student to be transferred to the School

Incorporates S.B 1380 ( Sen. Petersen (D) )

Incorporates S.B.  1570 (Se. Peake (R) )

02/03/17 Passes 38--0- 1 abstention Senate

02/20/17 Passes the House of Delegates 59-37

03/13/17- Vetoed by Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) 

04/05/17  Senate sustains Governors Veto  21-19

04/05/17- Veto Overide fails in Senate--- requires  27 YES votes.

So what happened? Why did this particular bill supported by both the House and Senate that not only passed in 2017 but had also passed both in 2016 get vetoed a second time by Governor Terry McAuliffe (D). This may provide insight.

         

This comes from the Virginia Education Association (VEA) Daily Reports dated April 6, 2017. Clearly the VEA stood in the way of this significant legislation becoming law. This provides some insight of how the lobbying efforts of the VEA who represents teachers throughout Virginia who pay membership may have directly resulted in where Virginia is today with virtual learning and why Virginia is playing catch up some three years later.

VEA had Virtual School Board in effect killed even after legislators supported it until the Governor vetoed the measure.

"Every year, on a Wednesday, six weeks after the close of session, the General Assembly reconvenes to take up the Governor's action on the bills passed by the legislature during the regular session. Yesterday was that day. Governor McAuliffe has vetoed 40 bills this session. Delegate Kirk Cox gave a floor speech announcing that the Governor has set a single-session record for vetoes. Because all his vetoes held, Governor McAuliffe has vetoed 111 bills during his term. That is a term record as well. Governor Gilmore has the next highest number- 91 vetoes. Delegate Toscano did remind the House that many of the House bills the Governor vetoed this session are identical to bills he vetoed last session.

The VEA was following a group of bills. These bills are all bad for public education and we are thankful to our members who have called, emailed, and written the Governor asking for his veto. We are also grateful that WE WERE HEARD! Governor McAuliffe vetoed all of the bills we requested. We expect the vetoes to be upheld since you need a 2/3 vote to overturn a veto. The Senate sits at 21-19, so it is very difficult to get a 2/3 vote in that body. The House, on the other hand, sits at 66-34, just one vote away from a 2/3 vote possibility. We followed the House closely, but we felt good that we had locked up our votes. Thank you to the 34 members of the House of Delegates who stood with us on the vetoes!

Today we will watch the following veto votes:

House Bill 1400, Delegate Dickie Bell's Virtual School Bill (the Senate version, Senate Bill 1240, from Senator Dunnavant is identical to the House bill and was also vetoed). In his veto, the Governor questioned the constitutionality of these bills. He also commented that, even with off-session work to improve this legislation, it passed in a nearly identical form as House Bill 8 from the 2016 session that he also vetoed. These bills would establish a separate Virtual School Board independent of the Virginia Board of Education and would receive state funding on a per-pupil basis based, draining those resources from our traditional public schools. All school divisions in VA are already required to offer on-line courses, and the VA Department of Education already offers full-time, virtual high school. The VEA opposed these bills and we are grateful the veto was upheld. In the House, the 34 Democrats were joined by Republican Delegates Bloxom, Farrell, Habeeb, Helsel, Hugo, Miller, Ware and Yost in sustaining the Governor's veto."

These bills in 2017 were first introduced in 2016 as House Bill 8. The Daily Press reported the following on March 31, 2016:

"Under the legislation, a student will be able to enroll in a state-approved virtual program if a parent determines that doing so is in the "best interest of such student," but no more than 2 percent of all students in a division could enroll.

The school would be tuition-free to all students, but comes with a $275,000 initial start up cost in Fiscal Year 2018 under the General Assembly-approved budget.

The state share of the per-pupil funding provided to each division would be transferred to the virtual school"

This was the basis it seems for the VEA determined effort for two years to keep the "Virtual School Board" from happening. The state share of the per student funding to local jurisdictions would be impacted if such a board were established and create an entity that very well may have been beyond its lobbying control.

So when Virginia parents look to Richmond for answers in terms of the circumstance the Commonwealth education system faces now with no in-person schooling to start the school year and the majority of school systems having to implement "virtual learning" understand that Virginia has been here before. Richmond had the opportunity not once but twice in 2016 and 2017 to get a jump start on such virtual learning for students and the VEA and Governor Terry McAuliffe(D) failed them.

Jonathan Scott

Guest Contributor

Virginia Assembly: Day 3 Virginia Senate Update

 

The Virginia Legislature "Special Session" day is underway and the Virginia Senate meeting at the Science Museum of Virginia on West Broad Street in Richmond is taking up various bills today coming from the Senate Education and Health Committee.

         

The Senate has determined to combine three bills (S.B.  5026, 5150, 5081) into one bill that has passed unanimously. These bills address that matter in which the public is informed with regard to outbreaks, location, cases and deaths resulting from said outbreak.

The Senate has also advanced S.B 5004 calling for every school building in the Commonwealth to have a School Nurse on site. This bill while passing was referred back to Finance Committee.

One bill that appears stalled is the bill relating to the prevention of evictions during the pandemic.  The Senate has put off this bill until next session in January. Virginia experienced a 16% rent failure rate in the month of July. It is believed that some 262,000 Virginians are "at risk" for evictions due to the pandemic.

Other measures under consideration:

SB5116-  In Home service verification by Department of Medical Assistance; electronic verification system

SB5114- Requires each School Board to make available in person instruction to each enrolled student when an area is determined not to have adequate internet services

SB5109- Provides that employees and residents of nursing homes receive priority testing for Covid-19

SB5064- Employer reporting of Covid-19 for each workplace with 30+ employees to health services

SB5028- Emergency Services and Disaster Law- Prohibits any Governor from issue any rule, regulation or under under his powers under Emergency Services that affects the operation of any public or private elementary or secondary school in Virginia. Bill also makes it so the State Board of Health cannot issue such order either.

SB5076- Paid Sick Leave during Covid-19 crisis from public and private employers for full or part time employees if the Governor has declared a state of emergency in response to health threat.  (FAILED)

"Bait & Switch": Chase Communications Prove Claims False

                                              https://www.facebook.com/TurnVARedAgain/

                  Has State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase (R)  compromised her campaign?

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever maybe our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

- John Adams

“The Virginia Transparency Caucus encourages public engagement and allows the public to hold their legislators more accountable by bringing the General Assembly to the ordinary citizen,”(Senator Amanda Chase).

State Senator Amanda Freeman Chase ( R ) representing the Virginia 11th District comprising Chesterfield, Amelia, and Colonial Heights has gone to war this week with supporters over whom she calls "nefarious" and "bad actors". The battle continued over the weekend after Chase released a post and then provided a recording of her interview with the Richmond Times -Dispatch that she apparently failed to inform reporter Patrick Wilson of the @RTDNews she was recording. Wilson published an article on Richmond.com attempting to get the evasive Chase on the record regarding her attempts to take control of one of the supporter pages on Facebook and have it fundraise for her campaign "unofficially". The group had no desire in becoming a "dark site" for Chase.

As of this post there are about a half dozen "Chase for Governor" pages and groups on Facebook. There is no reporting of Chase raising any concerns regarding any of these pages or groups. As a public figure, it is not uncommon for "supporter" and "fan" pages or groups to be created without the involvement of the figure. The group that Chase chose to go to war with was fully transparent in its efforts and intentions behind creating the group. Its description clearly states that the group is unaffiliated with any campaign nor is run by any staff from any campaign. It is clear from the public comments made that Chase attempted to seek "control" of the group by demanding placement of her own staff or herself as administrator of the group.

Join is discussion in Chasing Victory in Virginia 2020-21 here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2606638476319301/

Chase had joined the group herself on Janaury 20, 2020. It was not until she became angry over a post reported to her by her mother who also was in the group that a supporter posted a positive post concerning State Senator Jill Vogel (R). Vogel was the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor in 2017. It was commented that Vogel while losing to Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax (D) outperformed every other Republican running for statewide office in ther last few cycles including President Trump. This comment angered Chase who has demonstrated a very thin skin in the past (See Capital Police incident 2019) when dealing with others especially conservatives she feels should hold allegiance to her.

Chase became irate when she was taken to task for her vote on an anti-discrimination bill S.B 868 passed by the Virginia Senate in which she voted "Nay".Chase felt as though she should not have to defend her votes or positions to "supporters" and that anyone that would question her positions is clearly not a "supporter". Chase asserted that if you are in a "supporter group" that it was no place to question her positions on such things as conversion therapy which Chase says she supports. These votes are controversial positons for many voters in Virginia especially suburban families with children that are gay or lesbian or identify a transgender queer. These families may not be Chase's target audience today but will need them come any statewide race in 2021 and that was exactly what the supporter was asking Chase to explain. Chase has stated she is pro-family yet her vote on S.B. 868 is appears to contradict that claim. When dealing with issues, Chase typical invokes her Christian faith and that has not sat well with all supporters according to recent interactions. Not all families living in Virginia hold the same "values" as Chase let alone her faith.


                                    

Chase was called out for the fact the Republican Creed clearly states that "all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice and opportunities". In effect her vote denies such equal rights to minorities,  pregant women and people of differing national origins. Chase defended her "conservative" positions but was informed that they were not "Republican" positions. Chase has been removed from her local county Republican committee last September for similar decisions after not following the committees by laws and going her own way.  The vote against any anti-discrimination is a vote in support of discrimination itself. A battle that the Republican Party itself fought for in the Civil Rights Movement.

Chase decided to take to her official page to condemn the group she had been a member of four months with no issues after the group adminstrators and moderator refused to remove the supporters who questioned her or would not permit her Campaign Manager Philip Search being made administrator. Chase's position appears to be that if the group moderators were true "supporters" they would simply turn the group they built to over eleven thousand members over to her. This appears to be a pattern for Chase similar to her incident with the Capital Police where she made claims than once a video was released was forced to walk back her intial claim that she did not drop the "f bomb" in berating an officer. Chase appears to have asserted she made no demands upon the group moderators, however communication between Chase and the group prove that claim false.

Chase released the following statement on her official page regarding the supporters group:

“Bait and switch” is an unethical, non-transparent and disingenuous tactic used not only to lure innocent non-suspecting victims to purchase goods presented as one thing that turn out to be something completely different, victimizing the consumer.

And that which is substituted is usually far substantially less in value that was originally marketed. Unfortunately, that happens in politics and this week it happened to me. Well I refuse to be the victim.

I’ve learned in politics that there are supporters and then there are opportunists. There is no greater honor than earning the confidence of someone who believes you are the right person for a position.

Since I’ve announced my run for governor I’ve had many opportunists who tried to use my name and tremendous support across the Commonwealth for their own agenda and even nefarious purposes. I could ignore it but I won’t. As a champion of transparency, I expose it and confront it.

A guy posing as a supporter created a supporter page bearing my name. Over 11k captive supporters to date. Now they are using it as a springboard to recruit a Democrat-like candidate who they will run as a Republican against me. We’re one step ahead of them"

The "Democrat-like" candidate is a clear swipe at State Senator Jill Vogel (R) whom Chase claims ask her to run her 2017 Lt. Governor campaign in a text to supporters. Chase calls the members "captive supporters" as if members are somehow required to remain in the group or kept from leaving. A group that has steadily grown for four months with no issues until Chase was angered by the groups unwillingness to perform what they consider nefarious actions like fundraising off the group. 

The real "opportunist" in this case appears not to be the supporters group  but rather Amanda Chase herself. Chase sought to capture the largest supporters group on facebook for her own purposes. The main purpose was clearly to control member participation and control the speech which puts Chase in the awkward position in light of her continued championing of the 1st Amendment.

Chase claimes that since her announcement in February to run for Governor she has "had many opportunists that have tried to use her name" yet has never spoken publicly or provided any details regarding this instances or made any such claim before on her official page as she made in this instance.

The group in question provided the group activity for the group and demonstrated that Senator Chase's public claim of it being over 30,000 was false. The group has never had more than 11,400 members as illustrated by the activity report.  Chase futher claimed in her interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter that she did not know the group adminstrators and further informed her followers they were "fake", "nefarious" "bad actors" and people she did not know.

On Monday, text communications were published on the web that demonstrate that Senator Chase in fact not only knew the adminstrators but had been in contact with them as far back as October 2019. Apparently the "fake supporters" and "opportunists"  as she claims assisted Chase in her campaign for Senate in 2019. Chase's personal cell phone was used to communicate with adminstrators she claims to have not known here:

These texts did not come from the campaign or staffer but Chase's personal cell phone. Further texts demonstrate that Chase not only knew the parties involved but that her staff had communicated to her what good "supporters" they were of hers. The person named in this text was Chase's Legislative Aid in her Senate office in Richmond:

One thing is clear. The claims being advanced by Chase are false. Chase or her satff has in fact been in contact with these citizens both during session of the GeneralAssembly as well as outside of session. Chase claimed in her interview that her staff has been with her for two years and know better than to contact citizens during session realating to fundraising yet failed to explain exactly why her Campaign Manager contacted administrators on 2/25/20. Chase failed to answer what "business" her campaign staff would have during session contacting adminstrators as call logs represent.

Chase responded with calling out the reporting by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and stating:

"Please join me in canceling your subscription to the Richmond Times Dispatch (#RichmondsCNN)to protest their attack on conservative candidates; like me. I just canceled my 7 day subscription after this last hit piece that came out today.

There is an all out orchestrated attack on conservatives and I refuse to support it!"

Chase subsequently has dismissed the reporting as mere "fake news" and continues to attempt to siphon supporters off of the supporters page she herself  called "fake". This action is about moving those members to her new "Chase for Governor" group where she can fundraise off of supporters in the manner she sought with the original group.

Chase has yet to recant any of her denials or false statements even with published communication between her and her staff coming out. Back in 2016, Amanda Chase took part in the creation of the "Virginia Transparency Caucus". Chase championed the VTC yet appears to not practice at all what she preaches. Chase is not responding to requests to produce evidecne she has to support her claims against the adminstrators yet continues to assert them. This is reminiscent of the Northam vacationing claims in North Carolina during the pandemic crisis.

Chase undertook the very same tactic regarding her claims that Governor Ralph Northam (D) of Virginia was vacationing in North Carolina while Virginians were under Executive Orders to remain at home. On April 21, 2020 Chase informed her followers on her official page that:

"I’ve received many messages by those I know and trust in law enforcement that Governor Northam has been sighted in Manteo, North Carolina aka the Outer Banks during our stay at home order. They’ve sent pictures and other evidence." (Senator Chase)

Chase has yet to release any evidence to support her claims. The "picture and other evidence" claim was clearly nefarious and meant solely to manufacture a story for her own political gain.

This seems to be a pattern for Senator Chase in terms of negative interactions with fellow legislators as well as private citizens and Capital Police. None of the commincation relased thus far supports any claim Chase has made and in fact does just the opposite.The supportes group has asked Chase to apologize publically for her mischaracterizations regarding the group and its members.

As of this morning the supporters group has changed its name but appears to still have over 10,000 members since Senator Amanda Freeman Chase attempted to discredit the group as being "fake" last week on her official Senator page on Facebook. The group has been forced to defend itself against the pulpit of an official State Legislator that has clearly misrepresented facts and had her staff continue to push false claims in videos on facebook directed at the supporter group.

State Senator Chase is proving herself to be exactly what she claims she is not; a true politcian.

https://conservativestateus.blogspot.com/2020/05/amanda-chase-r-clashes-with-supporters.html